Gov’t to lift development curbs in military zones
The government will lift development restrictions on 339 square kilometers of military facility protection zones in seven regions, including Seosan in South Chungcheong Province and Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province, to facilitate regional development, President Yoon Suk Yeol said, Monday.
The two areas are home to two of the country’s major air bases.
“A total 8.2 percent of the country’s land is preserved as military facility protection zones, and building or rebuilding in the areas is prohibited due to regulations,” Yoon said during a town hall meeting at Seosan Air Base.
“The government has been reviewing the security necessity of all military facility protection zones since its inauguration, and as a result, it has decided to lift the barriers as long as it does not compromise security, so that we can reflect residents’ demands.”
Designated by the Minister of National Defense, military facility protection zones are areas prohibited from construction and other development work due to military purposes. So far, the defense ministry has regularly lifted regulations on such zones following residents’ requests.
Of those zones, 287 square kilometers were zoned off due to their proximity to air bases. In those areas, civilians can construct new buildings or renovate existing ones without consulting with the military, as long as they are lower than the flight safety limit.
The size of the latest clearing is 117 times the size of Yeouido in Seoul, and the largest of its kind since a relevant law was enacted in 2007.
“Military facility protection zones were first introduced in the 1970s,” Yoon said. “And there have been significant changes in the (security) environment. The nation has undergone rapid urbanization and technological advance, resulting in major shifts in the structure of our military and national security.”
Yoon also noted Seosan’s efforts to build a civilian airport by using existing runways at the air base. “It will be a successful model case of the private sector cooperating with the military for economic development,” he said.